Fangs of Fortune

Tragic beauty, sexy martial arts, tender pining and the most epic bromance of 2024!

This is not a drama you watch, it’s a drama you experience. Fangs of Fortune is a signature Guo Jing Ming piece of art with stunning cinematography, excellent music and gorgeous shots. The sheer beauty of this show is breathtaking and it is pure pleasure for your eyes and ears.

This director captures the dark, sensual beauty in his actors in a way that’s unlike anything I have ever seen. He has the skill to get the best acting out of his cast and create enormous chemistry between them with the slightest of gestures.

✔ This is a slow burn story of six individuals coming together to make a family that would live and die for each other. It’s fully character driven and focuses heavily on the relationships between this lovable team of humans, gods and demons, even sometimes at the expense of the plot. However, soon the show finds its pace and its footing and midway, gains momentum to the point that every episode is impactful.

✔The martial arts and action scenes are truly some of the best I have ever seen. They are emotional, sexy, expressive and tell a story instead of being just mindless fighting. There are so many adrenalin filled moments in this show coupled with tender emotions and powerful dialogues, peppered with excellent comedy that is always layered with undertones of tragedy. It’s really a mixed bag of feelings and after a while, you get so immersed that you are hit with every single one.

Now, let’s talk about the soul of the drama. While there are many amazing characters, the two male leads absolutely steal the show and give it life.

✔Zhao Yuan Zhou is one of the most powerful demons in the world with a deadly reputation to match. Feared by all, hated by most and condemned by many - he is a lonely soul burdened under self-hatred, guilt and a will to die.

It is this pursuit of death that brings him to the door of Zhou YiChen, the righteous, morally upright commander of the demon hunter bureau. Zhou Yi Chen is a man with many scars on his heart, a dedication to do what he thinks is right and a deep sense of vengeance that burns within the childlike purity that consumes him.

✔Even though their relationship starts off as a blood feud with one pledging to kill the other, soon it flourishes into one of the best male friendship arcs I have seen in a C drama ever. The love, silent camaraderie, empathy, understanding, protectiveness and compassion that they come to share is beautiful to watch.

✔These two make a formidable team because they are both such interesting characters in their own right. Both are damaged, powerful, with hard edges but incredibly soft hearts and their bickering, bantering dynamic together is truly a treat to watch. I mean, they were literally self-confessed soulmates - what more can you ask for?

✔The character development for both of them is excellent as well. Soon, you uncover the mischievous, cat-like goodness of the great demon and realize what a butter heart he has. You understand the pain he carries, the blood that paints his unwilling hands and you can’t help but feel for him as he finally, slowly, yearns to live instead of seeking the death that he thinks he deserves.

✔Similarly, you watch as Zhuo Yichen slowly becomes the formidable, unbreakable, full of grace man he is destined to be. He becomes a roof that shelters all. A roof that protects from wind and rain. A roof, that is home.

Both, Neo Hou and Tian Jiu Rui fully sell their characters and give out a very magnetic, ethereal performance and there is a world of chemistry between them.

✔Other than these two, the rest of the team - consisting of the loyal, endearing, food-loving God Ying Lei, the badass and resolute archer, Pei Si Jing and tiny, lovable doctor Bai Ju - is also a powerhouse of emotions. Each has their own stories, their own reasonings, their own fears and insecurities and their own amazing story arcs. All of them can be shipped with all of them and the found family arc is truly at its finest in this drama.

❌Unfortunately, the weakest character of the show has to be its female lead, Wen Xiao. There is a bland quality to her that becomes more apparent because of how magnetic the rest of the cast is. Wen Xiao is an underdeveloped character whose main job is to wax out poetic and flowery dialogues and cry atleast 49473993 times per episode. When she isn’t doing that, she is being a personal therapist/cheerleader for one of the two male leads.

❌There’s nothing wrong with being physically weak and having subtle strength, nor is there anything wrong with being all heart but honestly, Wen Xiao feels like an after thought of a character that’s definitely used as a shield to get through censorship by GJM who has been frequently ostracized for BL undertones in his dramas.

❌So, Wen Xiao’s character feels purposefully diluted as a calculated creative choice by the writer. She’s not given any of the impactful scenes, her romance arc is little more than a subplot and she’s supposed to take a backseat to the bromance which is obviously more thoughtfully written. While all the other members of the squad have their own flavoring, back stories and growth, Wen Xiao is stuck in the box labeled as “pretty weak lady who can do no wrong” and is responsible solely for the visuals in the story. While all the characters have seen significant growth as the episodes go by, she is still exactly the same as she was in episode 1.

❌ As a result, she is the most uninteresting character to watch and her love story with the great demon fell flat for me. Good thing is, romance is really just a minor thing in this drama and never holds that much importance in the first place so it’s all okay.

✔As the episodes progress, the show becomes darker with many questions of morality thrown in your face. Most of them, pushed forward by its very enigmatic, very sharp, sympathetic villain Li Lun. Li Lun is an absolute menace - evil, messy, sneaky and manipulative as he is, he still has a lonely, childish, unloved heart inside and he’s a delight to watch on screen. He has to be one of my favorite charismatic villains ever. Li Lun is 100% THAT girl.

✔ Finally, I feel like the drama had a very fitting bittersweet ending. It was beautiful, part tragic, part hopeful and true to the atmosphere built in 34 episodes. While there were many tears that were shed, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Overall, this is a show to cherish slowly instead of a binge watch. It is a whole moment in time all in itself that offers complete sensory overload and that’s why, it is definitely Jeana recommended.

Enjoy!

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山海经：Fangs of Fortune’s Endlessly Burning Roots in The Ancient Classic

THE ORIGIN IN THE CLASSIC OF MOUNTAINS AND SEAS
Unfortunately this very important detail is overlooked in many critical reviews.

Any kind soul who ever laid their eyes on the book(s) FoF is based on, called 山海经（ “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”），they will know how extremely utterly dark the content of the stories in there are; FoF only covered a handful of its stories/creatures. (We usually read texts in classical chinese, but there must be some translations online for you to do some research on and understand the root of FoF.)

I don’t even want to imagine how difficult it must have been to develop an entire script based on this ancient classic. Also to know which creatures, like the demons and their roots and nature, should be thematized; also the brainstorming of which plot could work in such a chaotic environment. My head starts spinning already even when I am just trying to come up with a coherent script for a capturing and comprehensive story evolving around the great 山海经.

Based on this information and what I have learned and read so far, I am truly impressed and will think about FANGS OF FORTUNE for a long time. The series has many deep and meaningful messages that it shares with the audience, which are not only inspired by the classic but also applicable to our everyday life. (f.e.: depression, guilt).


ACTORS; THEIR SCREENTIME
This one is frustrating. I enjoyed the acting itself A LOT, I’m a big enthusiast for vivid and expressive emotions, as they help to convey the feeling to me, who is part of a wider audience.

BUT the director really messed up the screentime of Neo and Dudu, which was needed to make FoF even more powerful in its writing. Here is where I want and have to deduct a few points because I don’t find it understandable to give such powerful characters such flawed scripts + that ending speed, just frustrating…- but fortunately the deep bonds and the acting saved this shortcoming somehow.


RECOMMENDATION
The implementation of the complex ancient classic stories and creatures is very much appreciated, but would I personally recommend it?

I highly recommend Fangs of Fortune to anyone who is interested in traditional chinese mythology and culture, as well as the highlight of a unique team growing into wiser and more skilled individuals, forming deep (!!!) bonds along the way.

Fangs Of Fortune is NOT recommended to anyone who is here for lighthearted action, a very present bittersweet romance and a happy ending.

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It's not romance... It's BROMANCE!

I've just finished it and still have swollen eyes from crying but... I loved it.

I started watching this drama hoping for some another good romance with Neo Hou as a ML and I could say that this drama is everything besides that. So if you are reading this looking for some passionate love story - you won't find it.
BUT... If you like kind of found family vibes, excellent bromance, absurdly beautiful cast, awesome OST and you are angst enjoyer - you hit the bull's-eye!

At first I want to say that this drama is real eyecandy! I've watched so so many dramas already but it's 1st one where even side characters were so pretty! Sometimes it was really hard for me to focus on the plot as I got distracted by all those handsome actors so much. I can't even tell which character I loved the most but I'm really impressed with awesome acting of Neo Hou, Tian Jia Rui and Yan An. They portrayed their characters so damn well and their dynamics was sooooooooooooo good. But on the other hand - I feel like FL was totally outshined by male leads. Wen Xiao was a nice character but compared to the rest she seemed so plain. At some point I totally stopped caring about her and her 'romance' with ZYZ as I was so invested with our boys (ZYZ, ZYC and Li Liun) and their complicated relationships... ZYZ & ZYC and ZYZ & Li Liun chemistry was just off the chart (maybe I watched too many BLs but it felt as a love triangle between them in some parts, lol)!

Besides that I really liked the found family vibe - it was wholesome! Side characters also gave their best and their stories were really interesting and made me care for them (and weep for them...). This drama was a real rollercoaster of emotions for me - it made me laugh and cry so many times... Additionaly OST was a chef's kiss - so beautiful and well matched.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this one! Watch it, you won't regret this! But be aware - grab some tissues...

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First half fantastic, second half was not

Loved all the handsome demons, fantastic costumes & cgi, cheeky banter and hints of more than meets the eye as the great demon makes Zhou swear to kill him.

I was on the edge of my seat as this demon hunting crew solved various cases and my heart was repeated tugged by the bittersweet love stories - Ran Yi, the first Goddess & Demon and Plague Demon. All so handsome and all so tragic.

Then it all went south after Zhou became a demon. The stories got darker and Zhou was in tears every episode. The slow motion got more annoying as it became a repetition of sad music to accompany slow motion grief to squeeze out as many tears as possible from you as the drama went on a killing spree and ended the lives of so many characters.

The extra episode was helpful for a better closure but also suffered from too much slow motion.

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A story of friendship, healing, self-discovery and love

I finally finished this drama... I really loved it from beginning to end. The cinematography is the best I have ever seen in a serie, even films rarely have this stunning aesthetic. The costumes are incredible ! The characters are great and they all have interesting stories and evolution, even the minor characters. The acting is impeccable, I can't believe some are not professional actors/actresses ! (special congratulation to the child). The OST is so good also. And I really like the subtext, the philosophy of the plot . That being said the show is not totally perfect, the plot is sometimes chaotic and some scene are too dragging (though unlike some, I didn't mind at all the slow pacing). But overall it's very good and I recommend it. I already miss the team, I wish their adventures would never end !

And this is my favourite new song : https://youtu.be/XzDJ-2M_1BQ?si=6uwHU-OmeYB5EbPr

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emotionally moving drama

This drama is great, if you pretend the last 4 episodes do not exist. The last 4 episodes didn't make much sense tbh. The story starts out with our great demon Zhan yuanzhou who goes to the demon catching agency to help them out.

wen Xiao doesn't have a problem with this but our beloved Zhou yichen doesn't like it bec the demon killer his family. however Yuanzhou gets his way by offering that he'll teach yichen how to use the cloud sword to the fullest and be able to kill him when he does. yichen agrees and went Xiao makes a seperate contract with him to make sure he doesn't do anything out of line.

This show is pure comedy, the snark comments and funny moments makes you laugh. it's very enjoyable. the leads form up a team with Bai Jiu and pei Ying and later on our little mountain wanna be chef god ying lei. Bai Jiu is a kid who's an excellent doctor.

They all love teasing each other and having fun together. they eventually become like a family. they take on many cases of demons who kill or harm people only to eventually face off against the true villain of the show.

on this journey they discover hidden plots and a hidden agenda by none other then Bai jius own master. He manipulated Bai Jiu into betraying his friends all to save his mother. he eventually learns the truth about his mother and his friends give him another chance.

the man was after Yuanzhou's inner core because it contained the ever burning wood. Many people have died for this. Yuanzhou is a vessel for all the resentment energy which can sometimes make him lose control especially on a red blood moon. once yichen learns this is why he killed his family, his own feelings start to torment him a little. he wants to hate him but he really can't, they have become a bit like soulmates. truly best of friends.

in the end Bai Jiu gets taken over by Li Lun an old friend of yuanzhou he turned evil. To be able to save him they had to repair the cloud sword that had gotten broken along the way and get rid of Li luns inner core. this causes the death of ying Lei. Bai Jiu was saved but once he learner Ying lei died he was very sad.

Li Lun didn't die as per Yuanzhou's request and they had him return to his original form a bagoda root so he could start anew and recultivate his human form. then the time finally came for them to face off against the true villain of the show. we all thought he was dead but surprise surprise he wasn't.

this is where it starts to really not make any sense at all. yuanzhou was already weak from getting rid of the ever burning wood and using his own demonic energy to help restore the cloud sword. still he and yichen faced off against the man who now possessed the innor core of the phoenix.

along with the ashes of the ever burning wood he could be reborn as many times as possible. pei Ying faced off against one of his lackeys, they used to be colleagues as she used to work this agency in the past.

wen Xiao was deadly poisoned and couldn't really use her baize goddess powers without getting more poisoned and closer to death. she finally managed to retrieve her full power and then that happens?!

yichen and yuanzhou struggle against him and guess who comes to lend them a hand? none other then Li Lun! he forcibly took on a human form to help his old bestie yuanzhou. during the fighting he decides to sacrifice himself for yuanzhou and his new bestie. he gives them each half of his power. he couldn't stand yuanzhou being a weak mf cuz he was literally one of the strongest demons out there.

then he tried to buy some time by having his natural form appear to lure the fire of the ever burning wood which is his archnemesis. yuanzhou and yichen work together to finally sly him only for him to be alive again.

on the other side in a different place another fierce battle was going on. it eventually ended with pei Ying being the winner and Bai Jiu going off to find the ashes to destroy them. they were protected by a barrier, Bai Jiu did not give a shit and forced his way through this very painful barrier for his Zhou gege who he admired so much. it ends with him destroying the ashes and ending up dead.

yuanzhou gets all the demonic power from yichen as he was caught by the villain and the same type of barrier was set up there. yichen was always protected from his one word spells (except for the time he had a portion of Li luns power) so he used this to break the barrier and kill the villain. however it doesn't end there!!!

the evil guy had given everyone an inner demon core and the only way to get rid of this was to active the baize goddess full power. yuanzhou had already taken away all the poison from the baize token secretly and now he decided to let himself get killed so all the resentment energy gets released triggering the full power of the baize token to save everyone. THE FUCKING END.

we get little consolation with a special episode where yichen is searching for the last remnant of Yuanzhou's soul because he had seperated a piece so he could be reborn.

top tier acting, loved the chemistry between the actors and the characters. romance was really only a minor thing it as was a bit comedic at some points too, but their love for each other was pure and cute. yuanzhou and wen Xiao were very cute together. so besides the crappy open ending. it's definitely worth the watch and very enjoyable overall

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Unparalleled cinematography with complex characters and well fleshed-out relationships

This is the best show I’ve watched in 2025 so far. At first, I was hesitant about the show, because the pace of the first few episodes was a little slow and thus, dry. However, I pushed through and from ep4 it started to get really interesting. This is honestly a 10/10 for me - and unexpectedly as well, since I went into this show thinking it would be an 8/10. What this show did best was: breathtaking cinematography, beautifully tragic characters, and complex relationships crafted through unpredictably heartbreaking storytelling. I LOVED all the characters and their backstories, I LOVED watching their friendships and relationships flourish (from platonic and familial to romantic), I LOVED finding out what the next plot twist was going to be. This show honestly kept me on the edge of my seat with how the plot kept twisting and turning - I’m not a big plot person, but I was very impressed by how this show was able to keep the viewers in suspense while giving just enough to make us suspect something/someone, yet when the reveal finally occurs, we are still surprised. My favourite part of this show has got to be the way the complicated relationships between the characters unfolded and progressed, and I will talk more about this later.

First, the cinematography was insanely good. Every scene was just so beautiful it took my breath away. The views were spectacular and so picturesque, I genuinely felt that I should be paying to watch this. The CGI, too, was incredible. I never once thought about the CGI while watching because I genuinely felt that they were real - that’s how good it was! The best scenes in terms of cinematography has to be hands down the fight scenes - they’re so beautiful and elegant yet poised and accurate, the genuinely feel like a work of art; more of a dance than a brutal fight. This type of angle taken towards fight scenes might not be for everyone, so if you’re someone who likes seeing the brutal and bloody, this might not be your cup of tea, but I still believe that you’d be mesmerised by the beauty. I particularly enjoyed the water scenes because you could see every. droplet. And it was so beautiful, I was awestruck. Big kudos to the director - he’s known for his artistry, and he truly lives up to his name.

Next, the music was also really good. Not insane and not my favourite from all the shows I’ve watched, but they added the right amount of aura and emotion to the show. The rap score wasn’t my favourite at first, but I warmed up to it. I think this show really took a brave step out of the typical "recipe" for historical cdrama OSTs, but it was worth it. Every OST added something to the show and elevated the emotion of the scene.

The storytelling was one of the best I’ve seen. Getting to explore each character's past and present as the show progressed was so gratifying and immersive - I was truly invested! I appreciated how we got to really dive deep into every single main character's story and background, including the child and the mountain god who joined the gang halfway into the show. Every character had something unique that managed to tug on viewers' heartstrings, and I really identified and empathised with all of them. I think that’s not an easy thing to do, to write a story such that viewers are able to connect with every single character - including the side characters who only appear in a few episodes. I also really liked the common theme of "love but lost"/"a love that's impossible" throughout the mini-stories/plot points throughout the show, from the stories of all the side characters to the main characters as well. It's beautifully tragic, and it tied the whole show together very nicely. The only other show in which I’ve seen such good connection between the side characters and the main characters is Love Between Fairy and Devil - both shows incorporated a strong common theme extremely well. I also really need to commend this show on its impeccable foreshadowing, because the way the ending was echoed in the beginning with a couple of the main characters really just plunges the viewer into a state of emotional investment that only grows from ep1, and throughout the show you just become increasingly invested and heartbroken because you know what’s about to come. You echo the characters' own anguish, because they too know what must happen, even if they don’t want it to.

I wouldn’t recommend watching this purely for the romance, because it is very much a sideplot. The main focus of this show is about self-forgiveness, self-discovery, personal growth, acceptance of one's past, concurrently with developing deep emotional connections and forging the strongest of friendships. Truth be told, I was much more moved by the platonic friendships in this show than the romantic relationship between the two main leads. Chinese netizens often joke that this show is a BL that passed the censorship laws in China HAHHA, and after watching I really have to agree. I do think that everything in this show was set up to be a BL, and it would’ve fit much better as one too. Not that there was anything wrong with how it is now, but I strongly believe that the connection between the main male leads was anything but casual. Their bromance was my favourite relationship in the whole show because [SPOILERS] they were sworn friends for life eons ago, and today they started as enemies and ended again as sworn friends for life. Watching their friendship develop and flourish as they battle with their deepest emotions and complex past connections was so gratifying - I really think they might be my favourite bromance in the history of all the cdramas I’ve watched (and I have watched HUNDREDS). Their dynamic is always hilarious to watch too, because it’s very much grumpy x sunshine and tease x tsundere/flustered HAHHA. I love their relationship so so so much and they both have so much aura it’s crazy. If you don’t want to watch this show for anything else, please watch it for them - they make the entire show worth watching!!! The sisterly relationship between the two female leads is also very heartwarming, though much less developed. I also really loved the familial relationship between the child and every single one of the main leads - the show definitely does the found family trope very well, especially with all the plot twists and [MINOR SPOILER] betrayals and almost-betrayals.

I will say that the villain(s) are very elusive and not too focused on, which I found worked pretty well in this show because the focus could then be on the main characters. I did think that the "conflict" was resolved in a careless and a bit of a sudden/illogical manner towards the end, and I was not a big fan of the ending because I really believe there could’ve been a much better resolution - I think the ending was only the ending because of the foreshadowing in the first ep. I think there could’ve been a better build-up to the ending plot-wise, because a sudden deluge of information was dropped in the last ep and I didn’t appreciate that. For those of you worried about the ending, [SPOILER] I would personally say that this is a sad ending, though it can be argued otherwise. Yes, there is major character death, which is why I would classify it as sad, though I guess on a wider level it is a happy ending since the rest of the characters are safe and happy, as is the world, and the conflict is resolved. I think they could’ve done a better job with tying up the loose ends because the conflict had great potential to be developed further but it wasn’t fully fleshed out. Also a fair warning: this is very much a tearjerker, perhaps the most intense I’ve ever watched. As someone who cries very easily when it comes to consuming media, I’ve cried every episode from ep25 onwards. That isn’t an exaggeration - I truly did cry every. single. episode. I was fully sobbing and bawling the entire time but it was so good and so touching!!!! The show is pretty much sad from the beginning because I cried from as early as ep9 too LOL. But it’s definitely a very meaningful type of sad, it’s very inspiring and thought-provoking and insightful. The emotional depth of this show is insane.

As for the cast, they ALL did an impeccable job. Hou Minghao stole the show for me because he NAILED his character, with how complex and nuanced he’s supposed to be - his crying scenes absolutely shattered me, and the emotions in his eyes blew me away, I genuinely felt like my heart was being squeezed into a pulp. He nailed every single nuance of his character and portrayed every side perfectly. Out of this world acting. He was born to play this role!! Another character I felt deserved high praise was Tian Jiarui's portrayal of the 2nd ml. He was perfect in executing his cold exterior but soft heart, I really enjoyed watching his scenes. The fls fell a little short in comparison, but I do think that might also be attributed to their characterisations, not their acting skill. Another warning: the fl is pretty useless in this show and while I didn't hate her, I definitely did not like her very much. It just feels infuriating because she's supposed to be the strong powerful goddess but whenever trouble comes she's either the one who caused it or the one who dooms everyone by needing to be saved. She spent more than half the time crying on the floor while the rest of the team engaged in action scenes. So tbh she annoyed the hell out of me LOL, so if you like strong independent fls, she isn't for you. The 2nd fl, however, is very much the strong independent type, though her skills aren't shown as much as the mls. The child also delivered a phenomenal acting job, especially towards the second half of the show (he was a little annoying in the first half). The 3rd ml/villain was also insanely good of an actor!

I have so much more to say but I’m running out of characters, so here’s my favourite quote from the show: "世间法理万千，难敌一句甘愿" - this loosely (directly) translates to "there are many powerful forces in the world, but nothing defeats one's word of willing" (the more accurate semantic translation would be "for all the power in the world, nothing is able to defeat he who is willing"). The dialogue in this show is really insightful and deep too, very beautifully written but unfortunately most of it is lost in translation, just like the quote above. Either way, I’d highly recommend this show, it’s one of the best in terms of platonic relationship development and found family.

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Beautiful Scenes and Beautiful Cast

Well the STORY was good.. so Im giving it a 9.5.. everything was beautiful, the story made sense even tho some scenes were abit cringe but nonetheless.. it didnt take away anything

The ACTING was superb.. every character killed their respective roles, was it me or was the cast crying almost every second 😭 that amount of tears.. I mean they delivered, and carried the emotions and made it so real.. I called them the Crying Squad 😂

The MUSIC was awesome.. the OSTs are still lingering in my head, the scenes and the music matched the emotions so well you just couldnt help but cry as well..

I would rewatch some scenes just to see ZYZs eyes 🥺 that man has the most beautiful eyes.. otherwise I dont repeat dramas.

So overall we giving it a 9..

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stunning visual effects...

Ufff... this drama is easily one of the best I’ve watched this year in terms of costumes and visual effects! Not saying the story and acting were bad or anything, but the costumes and visuals, Absolutely superb.

Now, about the drama itself, it’s a perfect blend of romance, ambition, and the darker side of human nature. It’s packed with love, betrayal, hate, and everything in between. The ML’s transformation from a charming but flawed character to someone hardened by ambition is so captivating, even though it’ll leave you questioning his choices. And the FL, She’s got this mix of strength and vulnerability that makes you root for her, even when things get rough.

The pacing keeps you hooked, and the production quality is on another level. The visuals, combined with a haunting soundtrack, really bring the story to life. That said, there are moments when the drama gets a bit too melodramatic, but honestly, it’s a small price to pay for such an engaging watch.

If you’re into stories that make you feel all the emotions...... love, heartbreak, and even a little frustration,,,,,, Fangs of Fortune is definitely worth your time. It’s not just about love or ambition; it’s about how far people will go to achieve their dreams and what they lose along the way. A solid watch, for sure!

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Great concept, poorly executed

This genre of dramas is one my favourites and I was super excited to watch Fangs of Fortune after seeing the trailer for but unfortunately this show just did not live up to what I had thought it was going to be. The first few episodes were great, meeting the characters, and getting into their first case - great right up my alley! But it all started going down hill for me from ep 5.
The storyline! It felt as though there were too many side stories that kept competing for the main story line where they just felt like a distraction / filler for the show. None of the stories meshed well together nor did they feel like they had any conclusion. It got boring for me and I started tuning out cos of all the side stories and distraction made me lose interest in what they were trying to achieve. Some of the episodes were drawn out by so much dialogue and flashbacks it felt really unnecessary. I found myself at times saying 'OK I get it can we move on from this now' so I had to skip alot of the scenes of talking.
The romance of the leads felt forced and was unecessary. I really enjoyed the friendship of the whole group and wish the writers had just left it as a friendship rather than throwing in a romantic relationship with the leads it wasnt needed.
I thoroughly enjoyed the visuals, costumes, acting, the comedy (the comedy was awesome), and the premise of demons I just felt the storyline let this down for me and the potential just decreased. A bit disappointing but thats OK will hopefully see more from these actors in future as they were great!

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Beautiful Melancholy

Let’s face it, there’s so much loss and sadness in this drama. Yet it’s balanced by the effective use of light humour so it is never a heavy watch. Even with so much pain and darkness in this drama’s world, light still pierces through giving us viewers relief, powered by unselfish love and loyal brotherhood and heroes who fight for what is right for those who cannot. Some scenes were painful to watch, (spoiler alert), like the final moments of Ah Heng, and Bai Jiu’s final courageous act and Zhao Yuan Zhou fighting himself walking away from his love to his destiny.

Beautifully acted, with a seriously gorgeous cast, and the makeup/ costume department needs to be given an award. How can a forehead accessory on a man look so good (aka Zhuo Yi Chen)?!

This drama felt whole, even without the special episode although the special episode helped ease the pain somewhat. The ending that was hinted at right from the start didn’t fall short of expectations. I’m looking at Neo Hou with new eyes. He was the standout actor for me.

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